Roller Coaster Tycoon (PC)

But it's not just about building roller coasters--you've got to look after all your guests, including the less adventurous by providing the complete range of "family" ride entertainment such as miniature railways, boat hire and mazes. Build food and drink stalls with rest facilities; hire costumed entertainers for the kiddies and create a park landscape that's not only fun but also appealing to walk through. Remember, you can own the best roller coaster ride ever but, if the visitors don't have a decent path to get there, you'll get no takers and no profit.

Success is not just a matter of building state-of-the-art rides; it's how you structure the park with themes, colours and landscaping that will help your guests enjoy the experience enough to come back and pay for more.

RollerCoaster Tycoon gives you the UPS, but also the DOWNS: why should people come to your park? Are the rides too expensive? Have you built enough food stalls? Do your amazing rides have a habit of breaking down too often? Climb or fall, boom or bust, you are in charge of it all, making sure the rides are safe, finding out what your guests are thinking and giving them what they want--for the right price!

A simulator in the style of SimCity, this game has a simple enough concept: build a park attractive enough to draw in hoards of tourists and then separate them from their hard-earned money. This is accomplished by researching and building rides, along with amenities, gardens and decorations. Once you have your infrastructure and the staff to maintain it, it's time to sit back and watch the funds roll in, all in hopes of building an even bigger rollercoaster somewhere else!

The big draws in a theme park, the coasters are expensive and flashy. They lure in thrill-seeking guests prepared to pay top dollar for a wild ride. RollerCoaster Tycoon even allows you to design the coasters yourself, a finicky but ultimately rewarding operation.

Despite a clunky interface and the usual simulator drawbacks--such as long waits while you acquire funds for the next ride--Roller Coaster Tycoon is an utter gem of a game. Its soundtrack, a mix of calliope music and ride machinery, is mixed with the sound of guests squealing with delight and terror as the coasters hurl them around. The sound mix is joyfully evocative, and you can almost smell the cotton candy and the popcorn.

Best of all, you can play in this theme park for hours without once losing your children or friends, getting sore feet or experiencing motion sickness. --Alyx Dellamonica